Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Sun Aug 26 00:27:20 2001

>>> does using a leg kick like alex rodriguez, manny ramirez,Juan Gonzalez and shinjo give you more power? Or do they just use it as a timing device <<<

Hi Devin

Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between a hitter’s personal batting style and mechanics that are necessary for generating bat speed. As far as the high leg lift is concerned, it is not a necessary swing component that all hitters must use to develop real power. There are too many players who hit the ball just as hard with little or no leg lift, but it may be essential to some hitters’ performance who have built their timing and rotational sequence around that movement.

The same is true for the length of the stride. Barry Bonds takes little or no stride while A-Rod takes a fairly long stride. So, is a longer stride necessary to develop power? Obviously not, but if A-Rod was forced to shorten his stride, or Barry to lengthen his, their performance would probably suffer.

Jack Mankin